2010 Fast Break Draft Party

Every Warrior not sharing a surname with a certain Indian delicacy is up for grabs. If the fire sale rumors are true, they can likely be had for expiring deals and cold hard cash.

All the teams picking before the Warriors minus the Wizards have been rumored at one point or another to be shopping their picks. The Nets at number 3 have been specifically linked to the Warriors in the past 24 hours.

The middle of the first round looks to be a free-for-all, with multiple picks already changing hands and several other plausible sounding deals rumored.

Taken together, it should add up to an entertaining evening of expectation, hope, frustration, potential and — just maybe — meaningful change. So, sit back, relax and join us in the comment section to discuss the action as it unfolds.

Adam Lauridsen

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I didn’t say nellie would “certainly” pick monroe, I said MY pick was monroe. I don’t know crap about the draft to be honest with you, but nellie does know how to draft and you should at least admit this about nellie, it would help your credibility a whole lot.

Justafan

GMoney nothing a new owner Like Larry E wont fix we just have to wait…hey 15 years is a long GD time but salvation is around the corner and then hopefully the suck will pass. Mean while the pontification continues……..

The Oracle

NBF has no credibility. Go to feltbot’s blog where your lies about nelson won’t be exposed, as they have been consistently here.

Nelson did not make this pick either. No way. What proof do you have this was Nelson’s pick. Riley says it was his pick. More unsubstantiated lies. Nothing new from NBF.

Arvid

I hear ya Oracle, but don’t buy it. He does fill a need. If they are looking to move Biedrins as I hope they do, and with Turiaf’s knees not the best, sounds like Randolph might see consistent minutes at the 5. That leaves Wright and Tolliver at the 4, which is fine by me. But if Meir is right, and BW is always gonna get that frame of his banged up, then having Udoh around makes lots of sense. We have small guys who can play the 3, and have quite well, in Azubuike and Williams, though I want a bigger guy there eventually.
Or maybe the rumors are true and Randolph gets packaged with Monta for a first rate 3? Then Udoh backs up Wright…
…and Tolliver, I’d like to try at center since that was his college position and he can draw opposing ones away from the hoop with his shooting range, freeing up lanes for the slashers to do what they do; he can back up whoever they don’t trade between AB & RT…

Son of Ahmed

I’m still bemoaning the chasm between #5 and #6. Curse of the ping pong balls.

Vasquez will be fun to watch if he can keep up. Might be good value that late in the draft.

jsl is right. Really poor level of talent in the draft. The whole thing dropped precipitously after #5.

dr_john

jsl:

I’m so excited by your post that I have to reply before I even finish it.

Here’s why.

I have a lot of favorites on our roster. It would always pain me to have to part with my own favorites.

But if we had a good GM, and K.Pritchard is one good example who is now available, then it would be easier to see moves where one of my guys gets traded (like Morrow, or Wright) as part of a good plan.

I know not all moves are winners, but some of these good young GM’s are building at a successful rate.

Keep talking sense and pray for management change even before ownership change.

nelliesbiggestfan

JT is using caps in his posts now , screaming like a baby for me to go away, almost as if it’s his blog. it’s not.

dr_john

Tom Penn now explaining why Riley screwed the Warriors with the second round pick even worse that anything that the rest of you have to say about Udoh.

Tarheel Warrior

To depressed Warriors fans, my man Schiller has this to say:

There are three lessons I would write, —
Three words — as with a burning pen,
In tracings of eternal light
Upon the hearts of men.

Have Hope. Though clouds environ now,
And gladness hides her face in scorn,
Put thou the shadow from thy brow, —
No night but hath its morn.

I’m not alone in wishing for your departure. The funny thing is that you are here defending Nelson ad nauseam, yet most people here probably like Nelson less solely because of you. I know I do. I hope Nelson gets fired fast, if nothing else so it gets you to leave this blog.

Basketball for Dummies

Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”
Larry Riley “I will make the pick.”

nuff said.

dr_john

The real problem with the Maggette trade is that it consumed an extra roster spot. 2 for 1. We’ve been there. I just don’t get how so many smart NBA guys like you all have failed to see this as a problem.

A RECURRING problem.

JT

dr_john –

Because this next season is essentially a lost season for the Warriors anyway. Were the Warriors going to compete with Maggette still on the team? Probably not. Removing him helps free up cap space after this season. Long term, it is a very good move. Short term it is a lateral move, but the Warriors were going to suck this year regardless!

Valr

sactown just got whiteside, wow!

Tired

Nelson doesn’t like a guy who can play center for him and shoot some mid-range shots? Sure he does. He is the center for the new small ball team.

AR and BW, watch your backs. AB should take the year off and be sure to get well.

ME moves to PF this year. Great mismatches!

This wasn’t such a hot draft was it? All ifs and buts. Every one of them. Booooorinnnnnnnnng.

We have a PF body on the team- CH. Any coach but Nelson would have given him more time at pf. That is where he should play. He can handle Boozer, or he will foul out and get his licks in. What are benches for? He can even hit a few jumpers. He is just too big and strong for this team.

Look for AR at C more this year. Book it if AB is not ready.

The fact is, if Nellie stays all of this position stuff is moot. The genius just has more toys to play with.

Peace out.

No summer league bs for me.

🙂

Thanks for this blog, Adam.

JT

Haha. The Kings drafting TWO centers. BOTH were wearing purple. Weird!

dr_john

Not only were Petrie/Westphal not enamoured of Hawes committment to defense, but I suspect Jason Thompson is going on a short list as well.

Cousins, Whiteside, Brockman. Check back year after next.

Tarheel Warrior

Schiller also said: “Against stupidity, even the gods are powerless”.

CC, RR, LR, and DN…we’re just fighting in vain.

Arvid

The Kings are starting to look pretty scary…

homer simpson

U…doh!

nelliesbiggestfan

JT

tell you what, you leave the blog until nellie’s gone, then I’ll leave when nellie leaves. deal ? If not then STFU about who should leave the blog.

Otis

Turner will be rookie of the year.
Udoh will do just fine.
Nelson will play him more because he’s older and by all accounts has a high basketball IQ.
We will win 40 games and miss the playoffs.
Nelson will retire before Christmas.
Mario Elie will replace him.

dr_john

Tired:

It amazes me no end how few bloggers here saw the effectiveness of Hunter in the low post, especially on defense, and particularly against opposing beefy PF’s.

Whether he is “the guy” or not is immaterial—he IS (or WAS) an informative prototype—and for the clueless small-ball types he should have been an eye-opening revelation.

Oracle:

The reason I put Tolliver at the SF is that he was mostly overmatched by PF’s. He’s no center. That was college. This was Nellie-ball.

This is why I put Turiaf at the PF. He’s no center, he gets abused there. He is in between, also.

So you can play the tweeners small, or big. Either might work.

But either way, if you have a single strategy, it is bound to fail in the NBA. Even some of the big teams go small, and small teams go big, too.

Otis

Are we not going to sign Hunter?
I like the guy.

meir34

I”d like to get Pritchard. Hard to believe there would ever have been a bigger contrast in the history of the NBA than Rowell-Riley to Kevin Pritchard. Or any of the three owners being mentioned and Cohan.

I’m not so down on the Udoh pick as some. Maybe because I was really hoping we’d package it with Corey and get ourselves a PF. Or with BW and get a lesser one. But a vet. So with few expectations I’ve no huge letdown. After that I didn’t think there was anyone in the draft, including Cousins, who would be a real difference maker for quite a while-and who knows which of them after that while? When you have a rookie that makes that much difference it usually means it’s a weak team. Rookies don’t play much on the LAL or Celtics or even Cleveland and Orlandos of the league.

Udoh does seem to specialize in D and blocking shots so that can’t be bad for the team, long run.

I liked Johnson but he was gone and that’s about that.

Same coming out of the draft as it was going in. Everything depends on getting a good new owner.

As for Adam’s guesses with the line-up. 35 seems about it. Without Monta, maybe 28. With SC, Monta, AB AND a good VET PF, 45-50. Though everyone might get fewer wins than expected. This year NJ, Sacto, LAC, GSW, Minny were pretty much automatic wins for teams at home. Next year all but us should be better. Us somewhat if we keep Monta and our players stay healthy. Though why that should happen with so many guys coming off of injuries or surgeries, I’m not sure. If we give up Monta and AB as some say Riley-Rowell are mimicking NJ this past season, then it’s likely 20 or so wins. Everyone wants to rush to dump Monta. Our leading scorer. Our leading stealer. Our close second highest assist guy. Our best defender. Must be something they see that I don’t, or vice versa.

As for the repeated stuff about Monta and Curry not being able to play together despite their leading the league in several key categories for a backcourt duo, and despite Curry’s own statement:

“Curry insists he doesn’t want is a breakup with Monta Ellis, who announced in training camp that he couldn’t play in the same backcourt with a similarly undersized Curry.

Curry eventually won over Ellis, too.

“It was a rough start,” Curry said. “He told me he was just frustrated with the way things were unfolding with the organization. There was a lot of unhappiness going throughout the locker room. I guess I was just the recipient of all that attention.

“We definitely bonded over the course of the year, learned to play with each other. He’s the most talented guy I’ve ever played with.”

So why the insistence that the stats don’t matter, that Curry is a liar, or doesn’t know as much about the subject as we do??????? How can you lose such a talented player and not be much worse?

We finally get a chance to have a full team, and with a chance to pick up a vet pg and be pretty darned good, and you want to kill it right then and there? Are fans so beaten down that making sure we are a big loser is the only way to get one’s kicks? Or feel comfortable?

We know Rowell and Riley want to dump all big contracts-and only AB and ME are left with even sorta star level salaries. So some want to be tools for Rowell?

The Oracle

Arvid,
That’s the worst nightmare of most on here. That Udoh pick makes sense because the team is moving AR. Genius not. The Udoh picks makes sense only if we are moving AB, BW, AR, and I hope none of those comes true. VR can play some PF. As can Tolliver. I just don’t see any need for a defensive minded PF on this squad.

Guys that can play PF: RT, Tolliver, AR, BW, VR. That’s 6 guys that can logically play that position. And we need Udoh? Not buying it.

Don’t you think Aminu, who plays SF, fills more of a need than Udoh does, assuming no one gets moved. KA btw is a SG, who can play SF but too smalll long term. He needs to play SG imo. And Aminu is a good defender too.

The Oracle

JT, well said. I like Nelson less because of guys like feltbot and NBF. And I will be glad also when the team is sold and these axs sucking Nelson groupies leave the blog to us real W fans.

Son of Ahmed

Kings fans have to be very excited tonight.

JanG

Remained speechless through this whole ordeal. The fact is, there was no one after 5 that would have an impact on this team nor is there anyone who will take this team to another level. Most of these guys are projects, including Favors and Cousins, and it may not be for another 3 years before they prove their worth. By that time, Nellie will be building sand castles, Riley will be in the CBA, ME and AB will be long gone, and we would have gotten 2 more lottery picks, and underclassmen projects at that.

We may never get to see BW and AR play together after a favorable glimpse 2 years ago. And we may never get to see Monta and Curry form the prolific tandem that I think they can be. This franchise continues to uphold the moniker for the most screwed up organization, the most inept ownership, and maybe the only team without any discernable plan. For the next forseeable future, the W’s will be sucking fumes from the few teams that were once in our class – Clips, Kings, Thunder, et al. and when Rubio comes over next year, you can throw in Minn as well.

It’s so painful hoping, dreaming, wishing, for things to finally turn around… but they never do. The two spots we lost in this draft, the extension given to Nellie, SJax, and AB, the huge contract given to CM, the jettisoning of 20+ pt scorers from this team year after year, the break up of the only playoff team in 15 years, and especially the lack of any coherant plan, has kept this team from moving forward and will keep this team in the cellar for years to come. This pick is one of so many bad moves, no one should be surprised. Only a new ownership and vision can move the pendulum.

Otis

If you think of teams as rooms and players as furniture, we’re like a team of end tables. Perfectly functional, and when we send them off to other rooms people like them – nice end table (Barnes, Pietrus, Crawford) but we have no dining room table, no living room couch, and no bed.
Biedrins, Ellis, Morrow, Turiaf – all end tables and ottomans.
Pau Gasol is a couch.
Dwight Howard is a dining room table.

Otis

And we spend a fortune for our end tables.

meir34

Otis, I’m not sure Gadzuric is better than Hunter, though he’s more experienced. But we took him back to match Corey’s salary going out. That means AB, RT, Gad at Center. If we carry 4 it will certainly be an unbalanced roster. And none of our four are potential top guys, unless AB gets healthy and by not playing for Latvia in the Summer Leagues, is able to revert back to where he was two years ago. And improve on that. So I like Hunter but he’s a journeyman center, at best.

So I’d say Hunters only chance of making it with us this year, is for a trade that moves one of the three I mentioned who would be ahead of him on the sheet.

Right now we are down whatever Maggette gave us. With only the argument that guys have to be healthier this year to go on. No additions to the team, again. Only subtractions. That doesn’t total up real favorable.

Again pray for the ownership change or to make life easier head for the south seas come next basketball season.

JT

Meir-

No one, and I mean NO ONE, in this entire blog post mentioned the relationship between Curry and Ellis.

Why are you bringing it up? 273 short, concise posts until you brought it up. Why do you think that is?

Tarheel Warrior

How many here have seen Udoh play, in person, not on film?

Yet you want to write him off before a single game has been played?

The mind boggles…

JT

Oh, and just for the fun of it; Curry is the consummate professional, who says all of the right things at the right times. Take that for what it’s worth.

dr_john

Meir:

Monta was not very efficient and that is the one reason I would try to get REAL value for him, no not never this kind of crap Riley has done. But I also said Monta improved during the course of the year—to his credit.

You are wrong if you are saying the Warriors received a backup PG in Charlie Bell. He’s an overpayed journeyman small SG with numbers not even better than CJWatson.

Neither of them are PG’s. That is my first point. Not a PG—not even third on Milwaukee at the position behind Jennings/Ridnour/Ivey.

Second—taking Gadzuric for Maggette does not bother me, I actually proposed something like this last year if it would get us Sessions. Please don’t pile on me for chasing Sessions, that’s not the point. Taking two bad players for Maggette, getting no other considerations, no draft choices—now that just pi$$es me off.

I liked the way the yoots showed last year, and now we have to cut those guys off at the knees because we have Bell and Gadzuric.

I said, who will be on the floor? Who will we cheer?

Where is our backup point guard who can step in when Curry goes down to injury?

Tell me true.

JT

TW-

I watched a few Baylor regular season games, and every Baylor tourney game last year. Udoh didn’t impress me then…

The Oracle

From MII on the CM trade in SJ Mercury.

“The deal also puts the Warriors in serious need of a small forward. Without Maggette, the Warriors have only Azubuike and Reggie Williams at that position. But Azubuike is still on the mend from major left knee surgery and Williams hasn’t played an entire NBA season.
“

Tarheel Warrior

Funniest post here was by someone who thought that if Cousins was available we should draft him and hire Calipari, to control DC.

If you paid any attention to KU ball, you would know that Calipari was famously unable to control DC…who ignored and berated him.

JT

dr_john –

If I were you, I would pray that the Warriors are smart enough to go hard after Marc Gasol this year. Either via trade for expirings, or as a FA after this year with the cap space. That would make the Maggette trade WELL worth it.

nelliesbiggestfan

for all of you proposing to play big ball ( dr. john especially), AB is not big. He is a skinny, weak , finesse center. If you are going to continue to propose a more physical lineup for the w’s then stop being hypocritical and including AB in these lineups. Same thing for Morrow, he is a physically weak player, he has no business being on a team that is going to play a physical brand of basketball. Anyone who wants a more physical basketball team should be in favor of dumping both of these players.

Tarheel Warrior

JT,

OK…will take your opinion on EU in consideration…but it’s only one opinion and you could be wrong in your valuation.

About Hunter…don’t understand what some see in him…a D-leaguer…though I didn’t see him play as much as many of you.

The Oracle

From DraftExpress

“Udoh’s 15.3 possessions per-game rank him above average in terms of usage, but his 0.885 PPP ranks him as the third least efficient player in our sample overall. Some of Udoh’s overall inefficiency stems from the fact that he was often the one creating his own shots in Baylor’s offense and didn’t finish at a high rate. Nearly 54% of his offense came off post ups, isolations, or offensive rebounds, which is certainly impressive, but his 53.3% shooting in finishing situations is well below average.

Udoh’s lack of physical strength, especially in his lower body, and average explosiveness, remain a concern moving forward. ”

And he’s 23, which normally limits upside.

Arvid

The Oracle, “The Udoh picks makes sense only if we are moving AB, BW, AR”…well that’s just it, isn’t it?
I hear that they are looking to move AB, so if true Udoh makes sense. I hear that they are looking to possibly move Monta, which if true a small no matter how dynamic most likely won’t net a good big, unless of course you pair him with a potential-so-far big of ours, which if it happened then Udoh makes sense. And then of the 3 guys you mention 2 were out ALL year, and the third out half the year…the law of averages tells me 1 out of 3 could easily be injured again this year, or maybe all 3 for small amounts here and there, in which case Udoh makes sense.
So, maybe he’s not filling a need, as I misstated, but he does seem to make an awful lot of sense, if rumors are true and/or one considers that AB/RT/BW/AR were all injured for long periods of time just last year.

dr_john

JanG:

There’s another way. Yes there is.

But Cohan/Rowell/Riley will never do it. I said it before, and I can give you the dollars.

Buyouts. Yep. Buyouts.

But the Warriors would have been better served to take their #6 and #34 and just try to move Maggette after the July 1st FA season opens—see who REALLY needs him, missed on a FA after getting a name and still have cap room.

But noooo. Not Riley (surrogate for whom?). Just like the Claxton situation before the trade deadline—they got nothing except the buyout, which they would still have, even NOW.

Some of these guys do not know their jobs. It’s a gravy train—Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Paulson oh my fr#lkin’ God, and Riley has been a beaut’ ever since Vancouver. He’ll still have nice income when he replaces Garry St. Jean on Comsports.

But we could be watching better players next year. All it will take is a few buyouts.

But it will cost more than if Riley had not traded the 2nd pick and then traded Maggette.

The guys here who try to justify this based on cap room two years from now just never thought we had anything, anyway.

We drafted Pritchard once.

Draft him again.

The Oracle

Arvid,

Still doesn’t add up. We have at least 6 guys suitable to playing PF.

We have only 2 that can really play SF, KA coming off injury, and RW who has never played a full season. And KA is a better SG imo than SF.

Injuries can happen, but it seems we’re a lot less stacked at SF than PF.

So if we’re worried about injuries, and KA should be a concern, then we worry about SF much more than PF.

This would be a very bad time to trade AB imo. His trade value after last season’s injury plagued year and regression couldn’t be lower could it? Why not let him see if he can come back and return to form? I don’t see how his value could possibly go down.

The Oracle

Every potential W owner should be on the phone with Pritchard tonight.

Arvid

From espn:

“It’s Udoh’s work ethic at the offensive end that has made him a weapon all over the floor and has propelled him up NBA draft boards. He uses a nifty jump hook in the lane and is effective with his back to the basket or facing it. He can step out and bury the midrange jumper and even, as Kansas’ coach Bill Self said, can hit a 3-pointer. He’s made 5 of 14 this season.

He has also developed excellent ballhandling skills, allowing him to take his man off the dribble and create for himself, a rare quality for a big man. He’s gone to the free throw line a team-high 87 times.

He also sees the floor well. Rarely is the power forward a team’s second-leading assist-maker. But Udoh is, averaging just shy of three a game.

“He has incredible basketball intelligence, he’s underrated as a passer, and he’s a kid that really knows the game and appreciates the nuances and finer points of the game,” Former Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker said. “He’s a crafty kind of player. I don’t always think you use those kinds of words or phrases or compliments for a kid that’s a power forward. I always marveled at that with him.”
[His] basketball insights are so sophisticated that talking to him is “like holding a clinic with another coach,” says former assistant Matthew Driscoll, now the coach at North Florida

As Udoh rounded into a complete player, he never lost sight of the fact that defense is what put him on the map in the first place. Udoh broke the Baylor single season record for blocked shots by averaging 3.7 swats a game, which was good for the fourth highest average in the nation.

dr_john

nbf:

I am telling you something you don’t want to hear.

Morrow is a tweener. He is a SG—I originally compared him to Allan Houston. 6’6″ 205#.

Not a SF.
Just like Turiaf not a center, and don’t tell me anymore about his limited time as a Laker. Mbanga is their backup center and HE belonged here, not there.

Small is the operative bias. Even though the league has been getting smaller at center, some of these “centers” are better suited as PF’s, or in a system that is a two-tweener 4-5 combo low post.

Arvid

You are right about the 3, The Oracle, which is why you trade Monta + a potential-only-so-far big to get a great 3, and the problem is solved, what with so many that can play the 2 already on the squad…
And even if AB comes back to being that great 11-11 double double guy, you still have a guy that stops no one at the rim, can’t move a body out of the paint, and can’t play crunch time. Cut bait now, if someone is actually interested in his youth…but after 6 years in the league, I believe anyway, that wysiwyg. (his value can go down if they realize after a couple of months that he still can’t play up to that 11/11 level, still can’t get back up to 50% at the line, still can’t defend, still is injured…as opposed to over the summer where they can claim he is recovered from injury -if he is before playing again…remember the o/pubis injury is defined as potential career ender, so….deal now! I say, if he comes back over the summer with a clean bill of health).